Waitlisted for TAship

[linguisticsgrad]

Hi everyone!

This is my first post here. I was accepted to the program I wanted and was placed on the waitlist for a TA-ship. I have been following up with the grad advisor and the professor in charge of the TA program but so far no luck. I know their deadline to hear back from those who were accepted is April 15th. Is it likely that I may hear something around that time if anyone has decided not to accept their spot? In other words, does anyone have any insight on how waitlists work? I am moving across the country to attend this school so I'm kind of going nuts about funding. I was awarded financial aid but obviously I would much rather get my tuition waived. Any thoughts/encouragement/advice would be greatly appreciated!  

[ThousandsHardships]

@linguisticsgrad I would suspect that it differs between programs, but I'm in much the same situation. I'm first waitlisted for a one-person fellowship, so I'm waiting for a particular person to decline, and I keep being told that other forms of funding hasn't been finalized and that they're trying to make me an offer I'd accept and that they're hoping to know more soon, but it's been so long and I'm having silent breakdowns several times every day because I don't have any other offers and I'd rather not wait to start my program.

I've been in contact with my program as well, but my last email with them was two weeks ago. How often have you been in contact with your program with regards to funding? Would you suggest that I try contacting them again right now? I had originally planned to wait another week, but every single day is torture. At the same time, I don't want to get on their bad side because I'm too pushy or insistent.

Sorry that this became more of my own sob story than a realistic answer to your question. I do think it's quite possible that people will decline close to the deadline, but I have no idea how many or what the chances are. The thing is, statistics don't matter - what applies to you does. It doesn't help at all to hear of what happened to other people in the past. We're guaranteed to keep stressing out until we get the final word from our program. I just hope we hear back soon. I hope that we both get what we're hoping for in the end! 

Edited April 2, 2017 by ThousandsHardships

[linguisticsgrad]

@ThousandsHardships I hope you get exactly what you're looking for, too!

I've contacted them twice and I totally understand what you mean about not wanting to be pushy or annoying, I tend to rewrite my emails to them a million times and then have a native Spanish speaker review it before I send it because I don't want to sound like I'm being whiney or demanding. I guess we'll be waiting this out together. Fingers crossed for you!

[hopefulPhD2017]

I'm in the same boat. I've tried not to be pushy but APRIL 15 IS IN ONE WEEK.

That's seven days. 

I have sent an email a week to different people: chair, Dept head, my POI. I understand they've got committees and such but how can we be expected to make decisions without hard, real facts and numbers?

Sorry no answers here either but I'm glad I'm not the only one still waiting. Gah!

[Need Coffee in an IV]

No real advice but I hope everything works out for you guys!

[mspeech]

On 4/2/2017 at 0:33 PM, linguisticsgrad said:

Hi everyone!

This is my first post here. I was accepted to the program I wanted and was placed on the waitlist for a TA-ship. I have been following up with the grad advisor and the professor in charge of the TA program but so far no luck. I know their deadline to hear back from those who were accepted is April 15th. Is it likely that I may hear something around that time if anyone has decided not to accept their spot? In other words, does anyone have any insight on how waitlists work? I am moving across the country to attend this school so I'm kind of going nuts about funding. I was awarded financial aid but obviously I would much rather get my tuition waived. Any thoughts/encouragement/advice would be greatly appreciated!  

I feel like I'm in the same boat. I decided to put 2 different enrollment offers down. The school I am on the waitlist for funding said they won't know more until after April 15th. I can't afford to go without the funding so if anything, I also have a deposit at my backup school. So nervewracking. Best of luck to you!